The Beach House
by TwiHEAcontest
Summary: Edward knew what he wanted out of life: a career, a wife and children, a home, and security. All of those things dimmed and lessened in importance when he met Jasper, and his world changed forever. Now, things are about to change again. Entry for the Happily Ever After Twific Contest


**Contest entry for the Happily Ever After TwiFic Contest**

**Title: The Beach House**

**Pairing: Edward/Jasper**

**Rating: MA**

**Summary: Edward knew what he wanted out of life: a career, a wife and children, a home, and security. All of those things dimmed and lessened in importance when he met Jasper, and his world changed forever. Now, things are about to change again. Entry for the Happily Ever After Twific Contest**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. This is a slash story.**

* * *

Edward woke to the sound of the surf and soft breaths against his shoulder. He lay still, memorizing the feeling of Jasper's warm body next to his: their legs tangled beneath the sheet, an arm thrown over his waist, silky hair brushing his neck.

If he could freeze time, he would choose these quiet morning moments.

"I know you're awake," he murmured, grinning at Jasper's gentle chuckle. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long." Jasper shifted in the bed, propping himself up on his elbow to look down at his lover. His hazel eyes were still sleepy as they moved over Edward's face. "Maybe ten minutes or so."

"You should have woken me," Edward scolded, being careful to sound playful when he reached up to push the other's man's hair-bleached gold by the sun-back from his face.

"You're a grumpy fucker when you're not ready to wake up; always have been." Jasper smiled. "Besides, it was only ten minutes."

"You're leaving tomorrow, Jay," Edward replied, the lightness in his tone faltering slightly before he smiled back. "I'm sure you can stand one of my grumpy minutes here and there."

Jasper said nothing for a moment, moving one hand to rest on the tanned skin over Edward's heart and holding his gaze. "Of course I can," he said at last, and rolled on top of his lover to kiss him.

Edward's hands came up to frame Jasper's face, pulling him close to deepen the kiss. The spark between the two men became a blaze, burning fast and hot. Edward could feel Jasper hard and needy against him, and his greed for more surged when Jasper groaned. He broke away with a little gasp, pushing Jasper back into the mattress, grinning when his lover threw back his head in pleasure. He nipped roughly at the other man's neck with his lips, almost as if daring himself to mark the skin.

"Edward," Jasper rasped.

"I'm here," Edward replied, his mouth moving against Jasper's throat.

He licked Jasper's Adam's apple, making the other man shudder, and then rolled away, reaching for the drawer in the nightstand. He turned back, only to be surprised by a warm hand snaking between his legs. Edward froze before he settled onto his side against the pillows and let out a long breath, the bottle of lube and condom in his hands forgotten. His eyes clenched closed as heat spread through his body. Jasper's clever fingers teased, one hand kneading Edward's balls and brushing along the cleft of his ass, while the other worked Edward's cock in long, firm strokes, pulling pleasure through him.

Desire snaked along Edward's spine, rushing through him much too quickly and spurring him to move. Rearing up again, he wrapped his fingers around Jasper's wrists, pushing them up and pinning them over Jasper's head.

"Goddamn these wicked hands of yours, Jay," he muttered before covering the other man's mouth with a bruising kiss.

"God," Jasper gasped out when they finally parted, panting harshly. "Please, Ed."

He watched hungrily as Edward let go of his wrists and sat back on his haunches, his long hands reaching for the lube and condom and moving in ways he knew so well. Jasper closed his eyes when the lube bottle clicked, taking himself in hand while Edward slicked himself and slid the latex over his cock with a hiss.

Edward pushed a wet finger inside his lover, and hummed when Jasper's face twisted with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

"Beautiful," Edward whispered, pushing another finger in and drawing a long moan from the other man.

His throat tightened when Jasper looked at him, his eyes swirling with emotion and desire. Edward batted Jasper's hand away, wrapping his free hand in its place, stroking and fingering his lover until Jasper was writhing.

"That's it," Edward almost crooned, "so hard and ready for me."

"Yes," Jasper gritted out, fisting the sheets, his eyes wide and desperate. "Ed, please."

"What, Jay?"

"_Please._"

"What, Jay?" Edward asked again, his voice lower.

"Oh, God. Fuck me, Ed. Fuck me, please."

Jasper exhaled shakily when Edward's fingers slid away, his breath catching in his throat when the other man pushed inside him, sliding deep. He whined as his hands scrabbled at Edward's shoulders, pulling the other man down and closer. He wrapped his arms and legs around Edward's body, driving him deeper until Edward thought he would lose his mind.

"Jesus," Edward said hoarsely. He rolled his hips against Jasper, his chest swelling with emotions he battled to control as his nerves and muscles sang.

"More, Ed," Jasper grunted, his face and neck flushing red, and his voice straining. "Harder."

Edward pushed himself up slightly onto his knees before driving forward, desire clutching at his belly when the other man moaned loudly. Edward kissed him deeply, his bones turning to fire with each movement as he fucked Jasper into the mattress.

Breaking the kiss with a grunt, Edward leaned forward to press his mouth to Jasper's ear. "I'm gonna take you so high," he said, his breaths hot and fast.

"So good," Jasper said, the break in his voice making Edward pull back to look at his face. Jasper reached between them with an unsteady hand to grasp his dick, his eyelids fluttering and his cheeks flushing redder as he stroked himself.

"You close? You gonna come for me, Jay?"

"Yes," Jasper choked out.

"Let me see you, Jay. Let me see you come."

"Oh, _fuck_." Jasper's eyes opened wide, locking with Edward's as he started to fall. Jasper's back arched, pressing his head into the pillows as his cock pulsed between them. He was moaning, his body boneless, when Edward stilled over him with a shout. Edward's mind filled with white noise, sight and sound slipping away as his orgasm roared through him, wringing his body with pleasure.

The trembling began when Jasper pulled Edward down into his arms. The men rocked against each other for a long time, uncaring of the mess between them. Edward forced himself up to clean them both before he curled up against his lover and sleep claimed them once more.

~o0o~

"You look a little red," Jasper noted as Edward dropped down onto the chair beside him.

"I'll put some lotion on in a minute," Edward replied, rolling lazily onto his stomach as the beach breeze cooled the sweat on his body. He'd run for over an hour on the beach, as he did every day during their stays at the little house.

He grinned when Jasper sat up to dig in the bag between them, and then closed his eyes when the other man knelt beside him in the sand with the tube of sunscreen.

"I don't know what possesses you to run at this hour." Jasper's voice was softly chiding as his warm, moist hands moved over the skin on Edward's back. "You should go before breakfast, or wait until closer to sundown, when it's cooler."

"Mmm, but then I'd miss these backrubs," Edward replied. His voice was groggy with enjoyment as the strong hands moved over his muscles, pushing him to the edge of bliss.

Jasper chuckled. "I see how it is, Cullen. Have you been taking advantage of my mad massage skills?"

"You bet your ass I have," Edward retorted, "every chance I could get for the past six years."

"Fucking shameless," Jasper countered playfully. "I feel sorry for whoever you rope into being your masseuse next summer."

His careless words cut through Edward's warm, drowsy haze, making him go rigid.

"Shit," the other man muttered, realizing his mistake immediately. "I'm sorry, Ed, I didn't mean anything by—"

"It's fine." Edward could hear the stiffness in his own voice, and he worked hard to school his expression as he pushed himself up to sit. His heart squeezed at the tense, regretful look on Jasper's face, making him reach out to grasp the other man's hand. "Jay, it's okay."

"It's not," Jasper replied, his voice low and tense. "I'm sorry I said that. I wish ... I wish things were different."

Edward sighed, cradling his lover's hand in his. He leaned forward, trailing light kisses over Jasper's lips, his cheeks, the bridge of his nose, the worried line on his forehead.

"Me too," he agreed.

"They're not different though," Jasper said sadly.

"No, they're not," Edward agreed again, one side of his mouth turning up in a smile. He reached up, covering Jasper's lips with his fingertips when the other man opened his mouth to speak again.

"Don't apologize, Jay, not to me. We both knew this," he gestured between himself and Jasper with his free hand, "thing between us wouldn't last. You have a life to lead, and so do I."

Edward moved his hand from Jasper's lips to cup his chin, swallowing a sigh when his lover leaned into his touch. "We had a good run, you and I."

Jasper's throat worked as he swallowed, and his eyes seemed to plead with Edward when he spoke. "No regrets, right?"

"None," Edward replied at once. "No regrets at all."

~o0o~

Edward Cullen never meant to fall in love.

He had left Chicago after high school with a kiss for his mother and a hug for his dad, his eyes sharp as he drove east, ready to start college and his life as an adult. He knew, with the hard, bright certainty of a young man, what he wanted: career, wife, children, home, security. All of those things had dimmed and lessened in importance when Edward met Jasper Whitlock, and his world had changed forever.

Jasper had never lied to Edward, even as their friendship changed and deepened: Jasper was going back home to Seattle someday. He would assume the mantle of the family business, he would marry his high school sweetheart, and he would make them proud. It didn't matter that Jasper and Edward were lovers, that they had built a life in New York, that they were happy together. That Edward loved Jasper.

They became skilled at ignoring the signs that Jasper's inevitable future was just over the horizon. They had found ways to get around or through visits with family, easily evading their parents' questions about dating and girlfriends. It was easy to smile and lie when they could return to New York, to the comfort and heat of each other's arms, and the hunger that they loved to feed.

After college, they had plunged into their graduate studies and preparing for the careers that they were so intent on building. They distracted themselves as two men with wealthy families could well afford, traveling to Europe, South America, and Mexico, discovering exotic places as they discovered each other. And every summer, they rented a little house on the beach on Cape Cod, turning off their cell phones and laptops for two weeks to shut out the world. They surfed and swam all day, while the sun browned their bodies and bleached their hair with golden light. They pushed and groaned against each other all night in the big white bed, painting the air with their gasps and each other's bodies with come.

Over time, the strain of his deceptions wore on Edward. He didn't like hiding from his family and friends in Chicago. He didn't like hiding from the world, or knowing that Jasper's girl back home, Maria, expected an engagement ring at any time. Edward told himself the lies were worth it, because his time with Jasper was limited. Someday he knew, when Jasper's life in Seattle had reclaimed him, Edward would come clean. He would tell his parents and brother the truth about himself, giving them the chance, he hoped, to truly know the real man he had grown up to be.

Now, six years later, Edward sat on the beach watching Jasper swim in the sea for what he knew could be the last time. Tomorrow, the thing they had been ignoring was going to happen: Jasper would go back to Seattle, to his home and his birthright, leaving his life in New York behind.

Though his throat ached, Edward smiled as he watched his lover emerge from the water. He let his eyes move over the body he knew so well, taking in Jasper's long, lovely limbs. As he drew closer, Jasper cocked his head and came to stand over the other man. A soft smile lit his handsome face and stole Edward's breath.

"Okay?" Jasper asked, squatting to look at Edward's face, his brows drawing together.

"Sure," Edward replied, breathing in and out until he felt he could smile too.

Jasper nodded, turning his head to look at the sun as it sank lower in the sky. "Feel like a drink?"

"Sure, if you're mixing." Edward smiled more naturally when the other man chuckled.

"You gonna make me work for my supper, Ed?" Jasper's voice was teasing, but uncertainty flashed in his eyes when he met Edward's gaze.

"Not unless you want to, Jay," Edward replied gently. "But it'd be nice, for old time's sake."

Jasper was quiet, his eyes moving over the other man's face for a long moment before he nodded. "I hope you stocked up on limes, then, because this is a tequila kind of evening."

~o0o~

In the end, Jasper accidentally upended the first shaker of cocktails over himself, leaving Edward to mix the first round. Edward stood at the counter, muddling lemons and limes with sugar, trying not to laugh while Jasper swore and changed out of his shorts.

"Oh, come on, Jay, don't be such a baby," Edward called as he measured tequila and Cointreau.

"I smell like the inside of an orange's ass!" Jasper yelled back.

Edward went weak with laughter, bracing himself against the counter with his hands. "What the fuck does that even mean?"

Jasper strolled past the bathroom door wearing nothing but tan lines and turned his back to Edward. "Shut up. Stupid, smug drink muddler." He said, smiling as he washed his hands.

"Christ, I'll lick you clean if that makes you feel better," Edward promised, salting the rims of the glasses while the two men teased and trash talked.

"I'll miss this, you know," Jasper said suddenly, his words startling Edward into stillness.

Edward turned to look at his lover, framed in the doorway and watching him in the bathroom mirror. Jasper pushed his hair back, the strange expression on his face sending an ache knifing through Edward's chest.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, turning to fill the glasses with shaky hands.

"This place," Jasper said. "These trips to the Cape and fooling around all day on the beach ... spending time here with you."

Jasper paused in the doorway to pull on a fresh pair of shorts, and then crossed the kitchen to stand at Edward's side. His fingers curled around the glass Edward had fixed for him, and he raised it to his lips for a long sip before his free hand curled around Edward's waist.

"I'll miss this," Jasper repeated, his voice softer, and when Edward looked up, he could see apology and yearning in the other man's eyes.

"Me too," Edward replied, relieved that his voice was steady. He kissed Jasper, his free hand coming to rest on the small of the other man's back as their lips met.

~o0o~

Edward had worried about that final night in the little beach house. Though he would never say as much, he had harbored fears that Jasper would grow distant or, worse, that he himself would become maudlin. The last thing Edward wanted was for this evening to be strained and awkward; more than ever before, he needed his connection with Jasper to be strong.

He relaxed as they made dinner together and Jasper's jokes and laughter filling the kitchen while they worked. They feasted on fish tacos and listened to the Rolling Stones, the margaritas keeping them mellow and loose as they talked.

Edward was mindful that they stuck to reminiscing about the past while avoiding any discussion of the future. For once, though, he tried not to think too hard on what he and Jasper _should_ be doing but instead on the here and now. If that was all he had, he'd take it without question.

Edward was laughing at something Jasper had said, his head thrown back in enjoyment, when the other man was suddenly in his lap. Jasper swallowed Edward's gasp of surprise with a kiss, his hands framing his lover's face, but could do nothing when Edward's drink sloshed over the edge of the glass, startling them both into stillness.

"Oops," Jasper murmured, his eyes on the wet stain spreading over Edward's thigh and the couch cushion.

"Oops?" Edward echoed, a slow smile spreading over his face at the other man's nonplussed expression. "It's your fault that I'm sitting in a puddle of tequila and citrus pulp, and that's all you have to say?"

Jasper smiled impishly, grinding his ass down into Edward's lap ever so slightly and licking his lips at Edward's quiet groan.

"What was it you said to me earlier?" he mused playfully, moving his hands into Edward's unruly red hair. "Oh, I know ... something about licking me clean to make me feel better."

Edward's mouth fell open slightly when Jasper ground down a little harder, making his dick harden and ache. "Yeah," he murmured.

"I could make that offer ..." Jasper raised an eyebrow, snaking his hand under the hem of Edward's shorts to drag his fingers over the damp, sticky skin.

"Put your money where your tongue is, Whitlock."

Edward's eyes gleamed with mischief before they widened in surprise when Jasper jumped to his feet and whirled around. Jasper scooped Edward out of his seat, tossing the other man over his shoulder amidst shouts of laughter and protest. The last of Edward's drink cascaded to the floor just before the glass itself, and Jasper left sticky footprints as he stalked toward the bedroom.

"Put me down, you ape," Edward laughed breathlessly as Jasper lowered him onto the bed, but his giggles became low groans when Jasper fell on him, licking and sucking his skin as promised.

Jasper was thorough and took his time, slowly driving Edward out of his head with teasing bites and deep wet kisses. He soon had Edward stripped nude and moaning, long fingers wound tight in Jasper's hair while Jasper teased the other man's cock with kisses.

"Can I fuck you, Ed?" Jasper asked, biting his lip when Edward nodded shakily.

"Get up here," Edward said hoarsely, "I wanna feel you tomorrow, Jay." He reached for Jasper as the other man crawled up his body and almost asked Jasper to fuck him until he forgot his name; those words, said often in the past, were on the tip of his tongue.

This time, though, the last thing Edward wanted was to forget; he wanted to remember everything. The feel of Jasper pushing into him from behind. The other man's teeth worrying the muscle in his shoulder as they moaned in unison. Clutching the headboard as the bed shook from the force of their coupling. The sound of Jasper's ragged breaths in his ear while Edward called out without thought or intent or shame.

Edward held his breath when he lost it all over the sheets and Jasper's hand, the rush so intense he struggled to hold himself up with trembling arms. Jasper bucked and groaned behind him, his movements becoming erratic and he lost his composure.

"Let me feel you, Jay," Edward rasped, reaching back to grab Jasper's thigh with bruising force. His touch drove the other man over the edge.

Jasper snapped his hips against Edward's once then twice more, and came with a hiss. "Oh, God," Jasper groaned, working his cock in and out of Edward until he fell against his lover's back, sending them both crashing onto the mattress.

It was a while before either of them moved. Edward tried to open his eyes as Jasper moved around the room, but hardly managed to stir, even when Jasper cleaned him up. The other man chuckled as he straightened the sheets, and arranged himself around Edward's leaden limbs when he crawled back into bed.

Edward was on the edge of sleep when he heard Jasper's whisper. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" Edward asked, frowning in confusion.

"Before, when we were fucking ... you said ..." Jasper began before trailing off, sounding uncertain.

Edward was quiet for a long moment, a sinking feeling beginning in the pit of his stomach before he spoke again. "What did I say?"

"That ... you won't forget me," Jasper said, his voice dropping lower. "Did you mean it?"

"Of course; I'll never forget you, Jay."

Edward stroked the skin of his lover's arms where they lay around his waist, very aware that Jasper was hiding something. Edward thought he knew what it was, too.

~o0o~

"When are you headed back to New York?" Jasper asked over coffee and breakfast at the kitchen table the next morning.

"At the end of the month," Edward replied, giving Jasper a small smile when the other man's eyes widened in surprise. Edward bent to tighten the lace of his sneaker as he continued. "Figured I'd stay a little longer this time."

Jasper fiddled with the pieces of sweet roll that he'd buttered but not eaten. "Why? We've never stayed more than two weeks before. And you've never stayed here—"

"Alone," Edward finished for him, nodding when Jasper's cheeks flushed pink. "I know. But this is sort of a last hurrah, right? Everything's changing. School's done ... I start my new job next month ... you're leaving.

"I thought I'd take advantage of the last couple of weeks of my old life before the new one kicks in." He looked around the kitchen, his eyes both fond and sad. "I don't know if I'll come back here again."

"Why not?" Jasper frowned. "You won't be far, living in New York. You could still come back next summer."

"Sure. Maybe I'll bring my new boyfriend." Edward stretched his lips into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. The smile faded when Jasper paled. "Or not."

Edward stood and crossed the room with his plate and cup, keeping his eyes on the window above the sink. "You should call a cab if you want to make the ferry, Jay."

"Wanna drop me off?" Jasper asked, coming to stand at Edward's side, his voice pitched low and sweet.

Edward's hands tightened on the edge of the sink, his knuckles turning white as he struggled not to touch Jasper. "No, thanks," he replied with a chuckle. "I'm gonna go for a run, actually."

"Christ, Ed, it's only seven-thirty; you never run this early in the day."

Edward grinned. "Yeah, well, I need to be out of the house; otherwise I'll end up tackling you and taking off your clothes; next thing you know, you'll have missed your ferry. Just close the doors on your way out, okay?"

Jasper laughed, opening his mouth to protest, maybe even tease the other man, but Edward stopped the words with his lips. The kiss was soft and sweet—almost chaste compared to the rough hunger the two men usually showed one another—and filled with the emotion that told Edward he was losing his composure.

Pulling his friend and lover into a loose embrace, Edward allowed his lips to skim the edge of Jasper's ear. "I'll miss you, Jay. Take care of yourself." He paused for the span of a breath, closing his eyes when Jasper's arms circled his waist, and made himself speak again.

"I meant what I said last night," Edward murmured. He pressed a kiss against Jasper's neck, then turned and walked out the door and onto the beach for a run.

~o0o~

The cell phone and laptop stayed off for the first week after Jasper left. Edward knew that was the best way to avoid calling or emailing Jasper to beg him to change his mind.

He ran every day, his circuits along the beaches lengthening each time. He swam and read the books he'd loaded on his Kindle, and dozed in the shade of the umbrella.

He listened to the Black Keys as he cooked his meals, and sometimes Charlie Parker, unwinding with a beer or two as he watched the sunset in the evenings.

He made friends with a stray cat that had been nosing around the back door, feeding tidbits of his meals to the sleek grey animal that watched him with unwavering golden eyes. After three days of feeding the cat his scraps, Edward bought some cans of cat food at the general store in the town center.

When he did finally check his messages on the morning of the first day of his final week in the beach house, Edward found just two texts from Jasper.

_On the ground in Seattle_, read the first, sent on the day Jasper had flown back home.

_Can I call you?_ read the second, sent two days later, after Jasper had had a chance to unpack his bags and life.

Edward looked at the texts for a long time before he deleted them unanswered. He felt able to breathe again once they were gone.

~o0o~

It was raining as Edward pushed through the last leg of his run on the beach. He had never minded running in poor weather, and even welcomed the occasional rainy day, knowing that would mean the stretches of sand would be empty.

Edward did wonder, however, what the stray cat had gotten up to in his absence. He had simply grinned when the animal had strolled past him into the house, but now he wondered at the wisdom of trusting such a wild, little thing. The idea of replacing cat-scratched furniture made Edward nervous; the thought of cleaning up cat shit was even worse.

He was distracted enough by these musings to miss the light burning in the kitchen window and the car parked in front of the house. Even the back door standing open escaped his observation until he had reached out toward the knob. He paused, confusion washing over his brain, and then stiffened when he heard the sound of a familiar, deep voice drifting through the window.

_Jasper. _

Edward was unaware that he had turned and walked away from the house again until he heard Jasper call his name. Edward knew fleeing was foolish. He had nowhere to go, and no money or ID—everything that he had brought with him on this trip was back in the little beach house. Still, his legs propelled him over the sand, away from the house and the man that he knew he would spend most of his life trying to forget.

"Edward, wait!" Jasper called again, his voice closer this time, and more urgent.

Edward slowed and then stopped, though he couldn't make himself turn around. He frowned, his hands coming up to push back his wet hair, his chest filling with emotions that threatened to unseat his control. His lips pressed into a grim line as Jasper jogged around him, finally stopping to stand in front of Edward, who crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"Jesus, man," Jasper said, laughing breathlessly before he turned his palms up to the sky. "What are you making me chase you for? And in the rain, too. Shit."

Edward stared at the other man, his throat working as Jasper's merry eyes held his. "What are you doing here, Jay?"

"What, I can't come to spend the last week of your vacation here with you?" Jasper asked, his mouth curving in a broad smile. "I know you're here until next Sunday morning, Ed, so don't try to pretend you're leaving on the afternoon ferry. And the last time I checked, you don't own the whole of Cape Cod; can't I stay here too, if the mood strikes me?"

Edward's voice was unsteady as he watched the other man. "But ... why here? I'm sure you could find a nice hotel if you really want to stay—" he broke off suddenly, feeling himself grow pale as his mind raced. "You didn't ... she's not here, is she? Jay, you didn't bring Maria _here_?"

"Jesus, Ed, no," Jasper replied, concern evident as he stepped forward and reached for Edward. His face tightened with pain when Edward stepped back and away from him. "I'm alone. I promise, there's no one else at the house, or here with me."

"Why _are_ you here then?" Edward asked, shaken from the shock of being caught so off guard. "You're supposed to be in Seattle, being your Whitlock finest."

Jasper winced and nodded, his face growing sad as he stared at his friend. "I couldn't do it," he said gently, stepping forward again but keeping his hands at his sides.

"I went home and tried to get back into that headspace. Everything is there, Ed, and so, so perfect, you know? The business, the money, the country clubs ... Maria. It's all just waiting for the right man."

Edward's brows drew together as he heard the distress in the other man's voice. "So what's wrong?" he asked gently, unable, even now to harden his heart completely.

Jasper looked at him wearily and took another step forward. "What's wrong is that I'm not the right man. All of it felt so incredibly wrong for me. For the man that I've _become _since I left Seattle."

"Oh," Edward said faintly. "So you ..."

"Chucked it all," Jasper finished, smiling wryly when Edward's mouth fell open in surprise. "I told my dad that I couldn't play a role that wasn't meant for me. Told Maria too, right after I told her I couldn't see her anymore."

"Christ, Jay," Edward said, shaking his head slowly in amazement.

"That was pretty much my dad's reaction. With a hell of a lot more cursing," Jasper replied, his smile twisting into something darker. "But I quit, Ed. I quit the whole game I've been playing all these years. I can't do it ... I can't lie to them anymore, or to myself."

Jasper reached for Edward's hand and his face softened when the other man didn't flinch away. "I can't lie to you anymore, Ed."

Edward blinked, his eyes stinging as Jasper's fingers wound with his. "You told them? About us?"

"Yeah," Jasper said, taking the last step to close the distance between them, his eyes locked on Edward's. "They know who I am now. I know who I am, too, Ed."

"Are you okay?" Edward raised his free hand to press against Jasper's neck, hoping to soothe and reassure the other man.

"I'm fine." Jasper nodded, leaning into Edward's touch with something like a groan. "I couldn't wait to get the fuck back here, Ed. I was only gone a week and I missed you so fucking much."

"So don't leave again," Edward teased. He knew there were weighty things they needed to discuss: parents, ex-girlfriends, and life changes, things that were not to be dismissed. Right now, though, he needed to be still with Jasper, if only for a little while. "I missed you too."

"Can we get out of the rain, then?" Jasper grumbled, pulling Edward into a hug and making him laugh.

"Yeah, sure. C'mon back and I'll introduce you to the cat."

Edward moved to lead the way back to the house but paused when Jasper's arms tightened around him.

"I love you," Jasper said, his lips close to Edward's ear. "I never said the words out loud, the way you did that last night, but I thought them, Ed. I still do. All the time."

"I didn't mean to say them out loud," Edward confessed, running the tip of his nose along Jasper's cheek. "Not when I knew you weren't free to say them back if you wanted to."

"Yeah, but you did say them." Jasper pulled Edward closer, burying his face in his lover's neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Jay."

~o0o~

Edward woke to the sound of the surf and soft breaths against his neck. He lay still, savoring the feel of Jasper's warm body next to his: their legs tangled beneath the sheet, an arm thrown over his waist, silky hair brushing his neck.

His lips curved up in a smile when the door to their room swung open to reveal a pair of bright green eyes set in a hopeful face.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Edward murmured, holding out a hand to beckon the little boy into the room. "How long have you been up?"

"I dunno," Jack whispered, crawling into the bed to lie on top of Edward's body. He angled his head to stare up into his father's face. "The kitty waked me up again, Daddy."

"We'll have to feed him, then, and you," Edward replied, one hand coming up to smooth Jack's golden curls back from his forehead. "Maybe by the time we finish cooking, Pappy will be awake too."

"Pappy is awake now," Jasper mumbled, propping himself up on his elbow to look down at his husband and son. His smiling eyes his were sleepy as they moved over their faces. "Or I will be, once I've had some coffee."

"Grammy says you're a grumpy bear when you're not ready to wake up, Pappy," Jack replied, rolling in between his parents to include Jasper in his morning hug.

"Oh, what does Grammy know," Jasper teased, his hands coming up to tickle Jack. "She lives all the way in Chicago, waaaay too far to see me before I've had coffee!"

Edward closed his eyes, smiling as he listened to his husband and son banter. Six years had passed since Jasper had come back from Seattle. It took them a while to clean up the debris that had resulted from Jasper's coming out bomb, but neither he nor Edward had looked back. They lost things along the way—some family and friends, a birthright, and many tears—but gained much more in exchange. Pride. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Love.

Edward Cullen didn't feel the need to freeze time anymore; he wanted to live every moment of his perfectly imperfect life.

**A/N**

Thank you for reading. Big thanks as well to my beta, for her mad skills and patience.

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